Jared Polin, the Fro certainly knows photos and he certainly knows flash photography…Well, he knows people who are technically brilliant with flash photography.
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| One of my first studio shots - shot against a white background |
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| One light source - a low key technique I learned from the guide |
Enter Jared Polin, Fro Knows Photo =). I
have been a long time listener of his podcast and I have probably viewed all of
his videos twice over. Some may be turned off by how opinionated he is about
certain topics, but I find it rather refreshing. What I respect most about the
Fro is that he doesn't hide the fact that he doesn't know everything. In making his
beginner flash guide, he recruited the help of Adam Lerner, a prominent
portrait and fashion photographer based in New York, who has the technical
knowledge to deliver the information needed to understand using a flash. Not to say the Fro isn’t knowledgeable about
the topic, but I believe his technique comes to him intuitively and from years
of experience behind the camera. Plus he
is entertaining as heck and is the perfect side kick to Adam.
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| Another one light shot - one of my favorite photos |
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| Single light source but balanced with daylight. |
I will be honest, I was initially weary of the Fro mainly because he has a big voice and even bigger presence in the photography industry. The Gary Fong lightsphere diffuser immediately popped in my head - something that was over-hyped and under-delivered (I never owned one, but with my limited use, I found my Stofen difusser cap worked just as well and was smaller/cheaper). Needless to say, I worried for nothing. At the risk of sounding like a sponsored writer (which I am not), I would say this was one of the best photography related purchases I have made in years. After an hour into the guide, I felt confident I could do basic off camera photography because both the Fro and Adam delivered the message in an easy-to-comprehend manner. It is from their basic, most fundamental principles of flash photography that I was able to develop a better understanding of more advanced techniques from balancing ambient/flash to lighting a model with 3, 4 or sometimes 5 different lights. In fact, the same day I watched the guide I had a engagement session at the beach. Normally I would leave home without my flash trigger/receivers, but left with the sole intent of using it. My clients were happy.
This guide is a must buy. I will admit, I was afraid of flash. I used to say to others that I didn't like using flash because it was too harsh or provides an unrealistic look when in reality I didn't know what I was talking about. Not only do my images look sharper due to the wonderful specular highlights, but my confidence to shoot in any condition, harsh or ideal, has vastly improved. I will be the first to admit that I ALWAYS feel nervous before going to a shoot. I can't explain why, but I do. The fear eventually goes away once I "warm" up and get into my groove. Lately that transition from nervousness to confidence has been a lot faster due to the technical knowledge I have developed from this guide.
To summarize, here are some of the things I really liked about the Beginner Flash Guide:
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| A 4 light, high-key set up using a mixture of strobes, lights and light modifiers |
To summarize, here are some of the things I really liked about the Beginner Flash Guide:
- Entertaining and fun to watch
- Fantastic production quality
- They provide an introduction to some of the basic flash gear, from the light stands to flash triggers.
- Effective delivery of information using laymen's terms
- Adam and Jared provide several examples, including settings they use.
- Affordable - the best $70 you will spend related to photography
- The guide is not specific to any one camera model or brand.
I hope this review has helped. If you want to learn more about the guide, I have embedded Fro's preview below. Thanks for stopping by.
So say we all,
Dino
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